vastateofmind

SIGH. Was really hoping we could avoid any more nighttime cold snap this season. I lost all but about ten blossoms on a full-canopied, 15-foot pink dogwood tree in my front yard two weeks ago during the last foray into the low 30s at night...unfortunately, I know a lot of you here have a lot more at stake than that.

Thank you for posting this! We hear these guys hootin and hollerin in the woods behind our house, at least several evenings each week. I've caught glimpses of their silhouettes swooping about from tree to tree at twilight, but never knew which species of owl we were hearing!

Indeed. Sun's been trying to break through for the past couple of hours with mixed success, but it still feels damp outside...tried opening the window for some fresh air, but still too cool (for me) at 62 with a light breeze.

Literallly LOL'ed at that....if only because I've considered doing just that, but also didn't want to use my nice, new, shiny, only-use-for-grilling-and-not-ground-temps meat thermometer!

I, too, thought this was a little early....even for the earliest emergents. But I'm telling 'ya....even after my post above outlining what I found in my backyard, I found probably a dozen MORE emergent holes in my front yard yesterday. Lots of empty holes....but I've hardly seen any nymphs! Weird.

So, finally got around to the first "big" weed-whacking of the spring season, and found literally dozens of these emergent holes from cicada nymphs, after I cut down the worst patches of weeds around my backyard shed and near the patio/house foundations: So, SOMETHING must be starting to happen. I haven't actually seen any nymphs yet, with the exception of this guy yesterday who briefly thought about popping out, but then decided to roll over and go back to sleep for a few more days or a week: I think it's almost showtime...

So how was Aslin, @mattie g? Mrs. V and I have had it on our list for, like, FOREVER, but still haven't made the just-over-one-mile-trip up Van Dorn Street to actually visit! A hyper-local brewery, and we still haven't hit it. I've read up on their brews numerous times, and it sounds like they typically have a great selection of stuff on hand.

And there you are, @jacindc -- parked in one of those marvelous Adirondack chairs, that I said weeks ago I'd probabaly never move out of, if *I* had this incredible front yard garden AND my Kindle handy at any given time. Such a beautiful yard....keep up the great work!

I don't know if it goes here, or in banter, or where, but....I'd sure love to see some pics of the beach, even if it is grey, 50 degrees out, with a stiff, drizzle-driven wind. Just sayin'.

As long as your priorities are straight.

UGH. "Sprickets" -- I hate those things. Sometimes I see them this time of year around our basement bathroom and/or drains, but haven't yet. And to @wxtrix's point -- nothing drives me battier than a lone regular cricket that's found a way into the house, especially at night. Because then you can't UN-HEAR the damn thing...nor ever find it. :/

LOOOOVE the herb box/stand, @Mrs.J!! What a great design -- love the tilt-out tiers. I've always wanted to try growing my own herbs, but have been afraid to try. Not exaggerating -- I tend to kill ALL plants (with exception, of course, of weeds). It's not intentional, and I honestly try to do the right things in terms of sun/watering, etc. I just don't have green thumbs. I killed marigolds on our patio last year...and you have to try mighty hard to kill those.

You're one of the few folks who can make GF looks SO good/tasty....is that the kind of flour that Trixie recommended? Thx as always for sharing!

And suddenly, my minor whining about the screech of annual cicadas in mid-late summer pales in comparison to this. I have a number of college friends who still live up in the Lancaster County, PA area...I've been up there at, or near, to the time of fertilizer spreading, and the stench damn near makes your eyes water sometimes! Currently 63 with light rain. Started out the day in shorts but swapping for jeans right now.

And just as I read that....we had some sun break out here! I'll take it! Definitely cool-ish, though, at 61.

Oh, yeah -- the annual cicadas are a huge PITA when we get to late June to early September. I've always felt that their buzzing was far louder and annoying than the periodical cicadas, and it makes sitting outside in that timeframe just unbearable at times.

Pics of our neighbors' breathtaking tulips and other flowers surrounding their home I snapped yesterday...I've never seen such a variety of color in spring flowers. Meant to do this at the start of last weekend when the tulips were in peak condition and the sun was out, but oh well. https://photos.app.goo.gl/PSPjTZUHQXBqt9dAA

That sounds good, both fresh and as left overs. I just had to pitch the last of the spiral ham yesterday from Easter, having already eaten most of the leftovers warmed up, in ham soup and in some ground-up ham salad. One of the offspring is coming for dinner tonight, so trying to figure out a new and interesting way to marinate chicken for the grill....

Keeping my fingers crossed....we've been busting high on temps as a rule, at least in my local area, for the past two weeks.

Thanks VERY much for the pointers -- I need all of the help I can get with pizza dough!! And your pizza looks amazing!

I know it's difficult, given the flight patterns of these little buggers....but if anybody snaps some pics of them, I'd love to see.

I had the windows open late Friday afternoon, and while we didn't get direct impacts overhead here, the storms just a couple miles to our west sent some nice, rolling peals of thunder as they passed by at the time. I miss hearing that throughout the winter months.

We occasionally get small wasp nests in the front roof overhang, but this year -- out of the blue -- we seem to have a bumblebee problem in the knee-high holly shrub located closest to (of course) the front door. My experience with bumblebees in the past is that they are only slightly more coordinated than cicadas when it comes to flying and that they'll generally go their own way -- but we have 3-4 camping out in said shrub that have no issue dive-bombing or chasing whomever is entering/exiting the front door. I generally don't like to exterminate bees and I'm not even sure where to go looking for them in the shrub...but it's becoming a minor PITA.

Currently 56, mostly cloudy, some patches of blue here and there.